Editors: Mario Sanna, MD; Hiroshi Sunose, MD; Fernando Mancini, MD; Alessandra Russo, MD; Abdelkader Taibah, MD; and Maurizio Falcioni, MD.
Publisher: Thieme – 601 pages
Book Review by: Nano Khilnani

This is a large book on surgeries relating to the middle ear and the temporal bone behind the ear, and it has earned recognition as one of the best textbooks in this specialty in the course of the eight years since the first edition appeared.

The editors point out that more than a thousand operations performed per year during that period have enabled them to improve their techniques and therapeutic strategies. Technological innovations have also impelled advances in clinical activity.

This book is packed with photos showing step-by-step, how the various procedures were done. Digital photography made such pictures to be taken with greater ease than with film-based photography that was used for the first edition. Many of such large-size, full-color photos are stunning!  And very instructive of how creatively the various surgical procedures were enabled.

Surgeries involving the ear are difficult and require trained hands. They explain: “middle ear surgeons have to work on very fine, fragile structures in a very small area using fine-edge instruments, and a high-speed drill. Delicate and stable manipulation is required, and experienced surgeons are aware of small but important signs such as bleeding from particular points, change of color, and the particular sound of drilling to guide surgery appropriately.”The surgeons therefore engage in vigorous self-training and study to attain higher degrees of success.

What’s new in the second edition of this book?

  • Almost 1,800 vivid, full-color intra-operative images that take you through every operative sequence and offer a unified management approach to all procedures
  • Expanded chapter on temporal bone anatomy and dissection with CT scans correlated to dissection images of normal temporal bone, which is crucial for a full understanding of surgical anatomy and 3-D relationships between important structures
  • Updated chapter on paragangliomas, offering proven surgical solutions to this difficult pathology
  • Revised section on hemipetrosectomy, with treatments for intractable otorrhea in dead ears and other severe pathologies widely infiltrating the middle ear
  • Overview of new approaches to glomus tumor surgery
  • Coverage of the remarkable advances in cochlear implant technology for profound sensori-neural hearing loss

Here is an overview of the contents in this large-size text of over 600 pages length. It has a vast coverage of different surgical procedures and important setup considerations:

  • Anatomy and Radiology of the Temporal Bone
  • Operating Room Setup
  • Anesthesia
  • General Technical Considerations
  • Decision Making in Middle Ear Surgery
  • Ventilation Tube Insertion
  • General Otosurgical Procedures
  • Preoperative and Postoperative Care
  • External Auditory Canal
  • Myringoplasty
  • Ossiculoplasty
  • Simple Mastoidectomy
  • Canal Wall Up (Closed) Tympanoplasty
  • Canal Wall Down (Open) Tympanoplasty
  • Special Considerations Regarding Paraganglioma (Classes A and B)
  • Problems and Solutions in Mastoid Surgery
  • Stapes Surgery
  • Obliteration of the Middle Ear (Subtotal Petrosectomy)
  • Cochlear Implantation
  • Management of Iatrogenic Injuries

This book is one of the best ones out there on its subject. It is based on over 30 years of experience and more than 20,000 cases. It provides great detail in text and visual form on the various procedures pertaining to middle ear and mastoid surgery. It is a massive accomplishment by the editors and the collaborators named below.

 

Editors:

Mario Sanna, MD is Professor of Otolaryngology in the Department of Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Chieti in Chieti, Italy, and director of Gruppo Otoligico in Piacienza and Rome, Italy.

Hiroshi Sunose, MD is Professor of Otolaryngology in Medical Center East at Tokyo Women’s Medical University in Tokyo, Japan.

Fernando Mancini, MD is an otologic surgeon with Gruppo Otologica in Piacenza and Rome, Italy, and the Ospedale Koelleker in Turn, Italy

Alessandro Russo, MD, Abdelkader Taibah, MD, and Maurizio Falcioni, MD are otologic surgeons with Gruppo Otologico in Piacenza and Rome, Italy.

Collaborators:

Antonio Caruso, Giuseppe De Donato, Lorenzo Lauda, Filippo Di Lella, Enrico Piccirillo, Seung-Ho Shin, and Giuseppe Di Trapani.